4-8-04: NHGRI
Adds 18 Organisms to Sequencing Pipeline. As part of its ongoing
effort to enhance understanding of the human genome, the National Human
Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), one of the National Institutes of Health,
announced today that the Large-Scale Sequencing Research Network has received
the green light to begin sequencing 18 strategically selected organisms,
including the orangutan, African savannah elephant and domestic cat. The
seven mammals in this subset are the African savannah elephant (Loxodonta
africana), the European common shrew (Sorex araneus), the European hedgehog
(Erinaceus europeaus), the guinea pig (Cavia porcellus), the lesser hedgehog
tenrec (Echinops telfairi), the nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus)
and the rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). An eighth mammal, the domestic
cat (Felis catus) will add valuable data to the subset, but was selected
primarily because of its importance as a medical model for studying disease.The
ninth mammal, the orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus), is a primate, the
animals that are most closely related to humans. NHGRI-supported researchers
have already sequenced the genome of the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes)
and are sequencing the genome of the rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta).
The orangutan genome will be used in conjunction with these other primates
to identify those features in the human genome that differ among primates.
The ultimate goal is to better define and understand the unique DNA sequences
that set primates apart from other mammals and humans apart from other
primates.The second group chosen for the new sequencing effort includes
nine non-mammalian organisms, each of which represents a position on the
evolutionary timeline marked by important changes in animal anatomy, physiology,
development or behavior. The organisms are a slime mold (Physarum polycephalum),
a ciliate (Oxytricha trifallax), a choanoflagellate (Monosiga
ovata), a placozoan (Trichoplax adhaerens), a cnidarian (Hydra magnipapillata),
a snail (Biomphalaria glabrata), two roundworms (Pristionchus
pacificu, Trichinella spiralis) and the lamprey (Petromyzon marinus).